Naperville, IL Chiropractic Beats Massage for Cervicogenic Headaches

We see a great number of men and women with headaches in our Naperville, IL office, and Frank Bendiks, DC, PC has been able to support many of them. For that matter, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 50% of all adults deal with some sort of headache condition, so this certainly isn’t a surprise. One of the most frequent kinds of headaches that our patients deal with is cervicogenic headache which, luckily for us, chiropractic can commonly help.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is one that originates from problems in the cervical spine. It might be generated by a condition with either the spine itself (primarily, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it might be due to a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine can cause constriction or irritation of the spinal nerves, which can generate headache pain.

How can you find out if the headache you are struggling with is a cervicogenic headache? Aside from obtaining a diagnosis from a healthcare professional, a typical symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or discomfort in your neck. This is sometimes followed by pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

How Chiropractic Helps with Cervicogenic Headaches

Since cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever issue is causing them is remedied, it is essential to get treatment rather than just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an excellent solution, and one that provides a considerable amount of pain relief.

In one study published in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, experts studied 80 people who had regular cervicogenic headaches. Half received chiropractic care and the other 50% engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was examined 12 and 24 weeks after the procedures and it was discovered that chiropractic delivered the most beneficial effects.

In particular, this study noted that chiropractic adjustments offered patients more pain relief and decreased the frequency of headaches that occurred. Moreover, it also lessened the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Frank Bendiks, DC, PC can do for you and your headache pain, call us today. We'll do our best to get you the pain relief you deserve!

References

• Haas M, Schneider M, Vavrek D. Illustrating risk difference and number needed to treat from a randomized controlled trial of spinal manipulation for cervicogenic headache. Chiropractic & Osteopathy 2010 18(9).
• World Health Organization. (2012, October). Headache disorders. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs277/en/